1. Field of the Invention.
The present invention relates generally to electrical switches, and in particular to an electrical switch adapted for mounting in a vehicle for electrically isolating the ungrounded side of a battery from the rest of the vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art.
Vehicle electrical systems are adapted for providing electrical power to a variety of electrically-powered devices, such as starters, lights, fans and a wide variety of other electrical components and equipment. In a typical vehicle electrical system, the vehicle itself serves as a common or chassis ground, usually by connection to the negative side of the battery. The electrical equipment and components are operated by connecting them to the positive side of the vehicle's electrical power system, i.e. the battery positive side and/or the positive side of a generator or alternator. Many of these electrical components operate selectively, others operate continuously.
In a collision, the electrical system of a vehicle can produce hazardous sparks and short circuits, which can ignite fuel spilled from ruptured fuel tanks and fuel lines.
In that event, collisions which do not necessarily produce fatalities or serious injuries from the impact may nevertheless produce such fatalities or serious injuries if occupants thereof are unable to promptly escape from a burning vehicle.
Various devices have been developed in an attempt to interrupt or short-circuit the flow of electrical power to those components which might generate the spark that ignites the flames. In developing such a device, several objectives must be simultaneously satisfied. Besides interrupting the electrical power, the interruption must continue until corrected, regardless of the physical orientation of the vehicle after the collision. In addition, the device should be equally sensitive to any collision, regardless of the direction of impact.
A first shortcoming of many of the prior art devices is the failure to maintain the interrupted configuration until judgmental discretion has determined that potentially unsafe conditions, such as spilled fuel or the like, have passed. If a device automatically resets itself, thereby reconnecting the electrical power to the vehicular system, the purposes for installing such a system have been circumvented at a time when it is most critically needed.
A second shortcoming is the failure to provide a short-circuiting of the electrical components if the vehicle is substantially level after the collision. Many of the prior art devices are limited to performing their function only while the vehicle maintains a relatively steeply inclined orientation.
A third shortcoming arises from the use of specific rotational axes for moving parts or the use of a configuration which causes sensitivity in some directions to vary from that of other possible directions and thus do not provide uniform, omni-directional protection.
Another observed shortcoming of at least one of the prior art devices is a requirement to replace either the device or a component of the device before electrical power is once again restorable to the electrical components. If such an extra device or device component is not readily available, then the electrical connections of the vehicle would have to be modified to bypass the device in order to make the vehicle operational.
What is needed is a device which is equally omni-directionally sensitive to an impact, which remains in a tripped configuration until a determination has been made that potential danger has passed, which will trip and remain tripped even when the vehicle is upright and not in an inclined orientation, and which is self-contained whereby electrical power can be simply reconnected to the electrical components of the vehicle without replacing the device or component parts thereof.